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OPINION – DACA 48 Hours Later

As most of you are aware by now, on September 5th, 2017 Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the rollback of DACA. While it was immediately a controversial issue on all sides, time will tell to see how it plays out, and patience is key in determining if the outcome is positive or negative depending on your political views.

To have a reasoned opinion on the matter, one must realize that there is just over 180 days for 535 people to do their job as the legislative branch of the federal government. Luckily, for anyone with an opinion on this matter, next year is midterm elections and you will have the ability to voice your opinion, no matter what party affiliation you have, about the outcome of the legislation and the vote that your elected official cast. If a CEO gave 180 days to get a major task done, there is no doubt that you will complete that with plenty of time to spare, or you’ll probably find yourself in the unemployed category.

In understanding the federal government, it is a simple thing to realize that as easy as an executive order is signed, it is just as easy for it to get reversed. The original order was also on “shaky legal ground,” which Dianne Feinstein agreed. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be on a boat nowhere near land when someone confiscates it from me.

Giving congress 6 months is the proper solution and forcing congress to align towards productivity, when they’re paid $174,000 is quite a new concept. Their job is to create laws, remove laws, and edit laws as they deem fit. When was the last time you’ve been happy with their productivity? This forces their hand, and it is a beautiful thing.

In addition, President Trump has stated that he will revisit the issue in 6 months if congress goes par for the course. Best case scenario is that there is decisive legislative action to permanently put the issue at ease, and if there is not, who knows what President Trump will do. If congress truly cares about the DACA beneficiaries, they won’t leave it up to chance in six months.

Congress for as long as I’ve been alive has been at a stalemate. No one has understood the concept of deal making, which is why congress has been as lifeless as roadkill. At some point the elected officials need to realize that the way to productivity means that you need to accept the fact that a good deal means neither side is completely happy. Longer than I’ve been alive that concept has not been apparent. The DACA issue alone is something that has the magnitude to portray both parties working together to fulfill campaign promises and each to get something desirable for their base.

Blame isn’t to go on President Obama for the original order, and blame shouldn’t be attributed to Trump for rescinding the deal. In just over 180 days, you should look at congress and see how they handled this issue. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) says it is an issue for congress to decide, and Dianne Feinstein (D-California) says that the current issue is on “shaky legal ground.” Each prominent figure received exactly what they desired, the opportunity to create concrete legislation using the proper venue. For that, I thank President Trump for forcing congress to do exactly what is in their job description, to create the laws.